Multiple blade screw driver



Dec. 15, 1953 R. P. LAVIETES 2,662,568

MULTIPLE BLADE SCREW DRIVER Filed July 15, 1949 3rmentor @0 4 Wa /maid,

Patented Dec. 15, 1953 MULTIPLE. BLADE SCREW DRIVER Kaymond'lP. IJaviet'cs, Shelton, Conn.,,assignor to Shelton Plane and Tool Manufacturing Company; Shelton, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application July, 15, 1949, Serial No. 104,999

3 Claims.

' This'invention relatestoan improved multiple blade screw driver, andhas for itsmain object a" tool providedwith several different sized screw driver blades conveniently contained. within the.

tool, ofifering quick and. easy'selection: of the de sired blade and protection againstdetachment or loss of one or more blades.

Inisome of the old devices separate blades are stored ina hollow handle portion having a detachable closure cap.v In other old. devices smaller size screw drivers telescope within the hollowhandle portion of'successi'vely larger and.

separate screw drivers. In the first mentioned of the: old devices the hollow handle portion must-be first opened by removing a screw cap or other closure, the desired blade removed and attached to'the handle in operatingposition, and.

the screw capor other closure returned to close the hollow handle chamber. The blades are not.

mit selection of'the desired blade and almost;

instant positioning of the selected" blade in oper-- atingposition without danger of loss of any blades or" closure members.

With the foregoing and other: objects'in' view, I have, devised the construction illustratedin'the accompanying; drawing forming a part of this It is; however, to be understood" specification. the invention is not'limitedto thespecific details of construction and'arrangement shown"; butmay' and modifications embody various changes within the scope ofthe invention.

In this drawing:

Fig; 1 is a side view of' the device;

Figure 2 is an end view'of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3*is anotherside view at-right' angles" to the'view' in-Fig. l and partly in" section, and also showing a blade extended in position for use;

Fig; 4*is'a sectional view at 'line 4-4 of,;Fig. 3';

Fig. 5'is similar to Fig. 1 with blade holder and blades drawn out;

Fig. o-"is another view of the bladeholder at right angles to Fig. 5, a portion of" the handle member in section and the means for limiting total withdrawal of the blade holder from the handle;

Fig. 7 is an end view of Fig. 6, and:

Fig.8 is a top plan view of the blades shifted to various positions withinthe blade holder.

In the preferred embodiment asiillustratedi in the. drawings; a. substantially" circular knob= l0,

fiat-on twoopposing. sides. H; is: provided? with a longitudinally extending neck" 12 anda short shank 3; The shank is made to fit telescopically, within one end of a longitudinal cylindrical chamber M of a longitudinal tubular handle member 15. Suitable means is provided for securing the member lllto handle member It; In

the present device a hole E6 is provided in the.

shank and opposing holes to line up with this hole are provided. in the tubular handle member so that a retaining pin or rivet I? through said.

holes retains the circular knob it in rigid connection with the handle member i5 after. final assembly, as hereafter more fully explained.

The tubular openingof the handle. member. l5 at the end opposite the circular knob is smaller than the remainder of the chamber opening and fiat on opposite sides Ma' so as to provide a pair of shoulders 58 within the handle member. opening is not entirely circular. In the illustrated and preferred embodiment, the opening has two opposing flat walls, and two opposing circular walls, thereby preventing the blade holder hereafter'described from turning freely in the handle.

A blade holder or frame generally designated I9" comprises a pair of spaced longitudinal side members I91: and [9b fiat on the'interior surface and rounded on their exterior surfaces to slidably engage the interior of the tubular handle member. Spacing of'members 69a and we is accomplished by a screw stud 28 within a spacingcollar 2011' at one end, and a plurality of screw driver blades 21 pivotally mounted atthe other'end by pivot screw 22.

The screw driver blades are of varying sizes for use with various size screw heads and of proper length to permit full rotation around pivot 22 yet short enough to clear the spacer collar 20a. The'aggregate thickness of all the blades. should be approximately equal to the length of the spacer collar 20a;

A few turns of spring wire are. coiled around the periphery'ofthe spacer collar to-form a coil spring 23 with both free ends terminating in outwardly. turned hooks 23a, said. free endsopposing. each. other. separate under action of the spring coilso as to frictionally engagethe side walls of the chamber or bore M to retain the. frame and the blades in the handle when not in use.

The. blade holder or frame generally designated l9, comprising the pivotally mounted screw driverblades 2.! within its opposing longitudinal members. l9a. and l9b, the spacer collar 29a, stud 20.and the coiltspring 23, is inserted within the chamber I4 at'its widesttopening, or that is the. end in which the knob I9 is mounted before=this knob is attached, and with the endearrying; the pivot 22 entering" the chamber first. Thelfi'eeendsof the coil' spring are adapted to exert an. outward spring: action and therefore Thesehooked ends tend to friction against the wall of the chamber l4 and are compressed together to allow insertion into the tube chamber. The blade holder being semiround on two opposing sides and fiat on its other sides is fitted through the smaller end opening at the outer end of the tubular chamber. The shank l3 of the knob I0 is then telescoped into position within the tubular handle member !5 at its larger end opening, the opposing holes in the tubular member and the corresponding hole IS in the knob shank are aligned and the pin or rivet I! run through to rigidly fasten the knob to the tubular handle member.

The spring ends 230. act as a stop against internal shoulders l8 to limit outward travel of the blade holder and prevent it from falling out, or otherwise becoming detached from the handle member.

In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawing, I have provided the outer peripheral surface of the hollow handle member It with a knurled surface I 5a for better gripping, although any similarly roughened surface may be provided.

In operation, to expose a blade for use the blade holder is slidably withdrawn from the hollow handle member to its limit of slidable travel, as in Fig. 6, the desired blade is pivoted outwardly on pivot 22 so that the screw head engaging portion of the desired blade is in operating position, the remainder of the blades are pivotally 3 returned within the blade holder between the longitudinal members l9a and IS?) so that the screw head engaging portions of the unde ired blades face the handle member. The whole frame I!) with the blades is then slid back into the handle to the position of Fig. 3. In this position the inner end Nb of the blade Zia, which is turned with its bit end 2lc exposed for use, is located between the flats Ma of the opening in the outer end of the handle and cooperate therewith to hold the blade rigidly in this position and prevent it from swinging on its pivot 2! when in use.

Thus my invention provides a multiple blade screw driver offering a choice of several size offers the advantage of being convenient to carry as a pocket tool.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, I claim:

1. A blade tool comprising a blade holder including a pair of spaced and opposed longitudinal members held at one end by a spacing collar and stud transversely holding the longitudinal members in spaced position, a tool blade pivotally mounted between the other ends of the longitudinal members, the interior surfaces of the longitudinal members being substantially flat and their exterior surfaces being rounded, a tubular handle member having a longitudinal passage including at one end of the member an opening comprising two opposing flat wall surfaces and two opposing convex wall surfaces, the peripheral interior surface of said handle member slidably engaging the rounded exterior surfaces of the blade holder with the edges of the members of the holder engaging the flat surfaces of the opening to prevent turning of the holder in the handle member, a pair of opposing shoulders protruding from the interior of the handle member near its first mentioned end opening, a substantially U-shaped spring retaining member including an intermediate coil wound around the spacing collar, its free ends formed with outwardly extending hooks having frictional engagement with the internal walls of the handle member and positioned to cooperate with the shoulders to limit outward movement of the blade holder, a hand knob at the other end of the handle member, the blade holder being slidably guided within the handle member so that it may be drawn out to the stop position allowed by the engagement of the hooks with said shoulders, so that the blade may be turned on its pivot to operating position and the blade holder then slid back into the handle and prevented from turning within the handle.

2. A blade tool comprising a tubular handle member provided with a longitudinal passage opening through its opposite ends, the opening at one end being noncircular and smaller than the passage providing stop shoulders at the inner side of this opening, a blade holder comprising a pair of spaced longitudinal members slidably fitting within the handle member and slidably enge ging the opening longitudinally, said holder being noncircular and held against rotation by said opening, a tool blade pivotally mounted within the blade holder by a pivot stud running transversely through the blade holder and the blade, said holder being slidable longitudinally in the handle member between a retracted position in said member and an extended position to permit turning of the blade in the holder, and a spring carried by the blade holder including arms tending to move outwardly to frictionally engage the side surfaces of said passage and in position to engage the shoulders to retain the blade holder against complete withdrawal from the handle member.

3. A blade tool comprising a tubular handle member provided with a longitudinal chamber, a blade holder slidably fitted within the handle, a tool blede pivotally mounted within the blade holder so that its position ma be reversed in the holder, said member being provided with a noncircular opening through one end leading to said chamber and smaller than the chamber so as to provide a pair of opposed shoulders protruding into the handle chamber from the internal wall of the handle near said end, stop means attached to the blade holder comprising a spring including arms tending to move laterally to frictionally engage the walls of the chamber and arranged to co-act with the shoulders to prevent complete withdrawal of the blade holder from the handle, said holder being slidable between a position in the handle and an exposed position to permit reversal of the blade, and said blade holder being noncircular and located in the opening so as to be held thereby against rotation of the blade holder within the handle.

RAYMOND P. LAVIETES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 195,319 Whitehouse Sept. 13, 1877 537,246 Stone Apr. 9, 1895 554,046 Billings Feb. 4, 1896 750,182 Furbish Jan. 19, 1904 1,656,259 Young Jan. 17, 1928 

